existing scholarship, unearths the deeper theoretical fissures. Three distinct conceptual obstacles emerge: the

irreparable semantic dilution inherent in literal transfer, the pragmatic chasm separating original and target

audiences, and the pronounced loss of socio-cultural resonance unique to the Arabic context. Ignoring these

intricacies does not merely result in linguistic awkwardness; it actively propagates a fundamental

misrepresentation of cultural identity, demanding a more critical, contextual approach to translation pedagogy

The notion that proverbs, these pithy encapsulations of collective wisdom, might simply 'translate' across cultures

strikes one as rather naive. It is a persistent illusion. For all the earnest attempts to bridge linguistic divides

apparatus that perpetuates them. We possess myriad examples of mistranslated proverbs—instances where a

perfectly eloquent Arabic phrase becomes a clunky, bewildering Malay utterance—yet a coherent,

comprehensive explanation for why this failure is so systemic seems curiously absent from the broader discourse.

This paper, then, begins with a certain dissatisfaction, an intellectual unease regarding the complacency with

which this complex problem has been met. The urgency lies not merely in academic precision, but in the

The academic discourse surrounding proverb translation, particularly between culturally rich languages like

Arabic and Malay, has historically presented a rather fractured front. Scholars have certainly acknowledged the

difficulties, yet their approaches often diverge, leaving more questions than answers. Some early works, such as

are not just linguistic units; they are cultural artefacts, imbued with historical, social, and even religious layers

that resist simple denotative transfer. One might even argue their work implied a certain futility in aiming for

perfect equivalence. Indeed, this line of reasoning, which posits proverbs as profoundly culture-bound

phenomena, seems far more persuasive. The concept of 'equivalence' itself, a central pillar in translation studies,

has been fiercely debated, becoming particularly contentious when applied to paremiology. Nida’s (1964)

dynamic equivalence, while revolutionary in its time, aimed for an equivalent effect rather than a precise

wordfor-word match, yet even this often falls short when confronted with the sheer semantic and pragmatic

density of proverbs. Can one truly achieve an 'equivalent effect' when the cultural referents are entirely alien to

the target audience? Baker (1992) later introduced the idea of textual equivalence, providing a more granular

taxonomy of equivalence types, but even her detailed framework struggles with proverbs, often relegating them

approximated in the target language (e.g., Kovecses, 2005). This is a promising avenue, certainly, though the

practical application remains elusive. How does one 'replicate' a cognitive model across vastly different cultural

schemas? Meanwhile, scholars focusing on Arabic-Malay translation specifically have highlighted the role of

Islamic traditions and shared cultural heritage (e.g., Abdullah & Omar, 2018). While acknowledging this shared

substratum is important, it arguably oversimplifies the distinctions. The sheer diversity within Arabic-speaking

cultures, from the Levant to North Africa, means that 'Arabic' proverbs themselves are not monolithic, and their

transplantation into the Malay context, despite shared religious beliefs, is rarely seamless. The assumption of a

smooth transition based on religious affinity is, perhaps, a romanticised view. The pragmatic dimension also

presents a considerable challenge, often overlooked in more linguistically-focused studies. Johnstone (2018) and

other pragmaticists would argue that proverbs are performative utterances, deployed for specific social functions:

offers a scattered yet undeniably important foundation. It convincingly establishes the inherent complexity of

proverb translation, moving from simple lexical hurdles to profound cultural and pragmatic chasms. What it

largely fails to provide, however, is a cohesive, theoretically grounded methodology for predicting and mitigating

these failures, rather than merely observing them post-factum. There is a perceptible lack of a critical synthesis

that synthesises these disparate insights into a coherent, actionable framework. We know the problem exists; the

This inquiry, concerned as it is with the enduring conceptual quandaries of proverb translation, necessitates a

methodological approach capable of dissecting intricate theoretical constructs rather than generating new

empirical data. Thus, a rigorous conceptual analysis, founded squarely on a comprehensive library-based review,

seminal works in paremiology, general translation theory, and, crucially, specific studies addressing ArabicMalay

a core corpus of pertinent studies was assembled, the analysis proceeded through several iterative stages. Each

text was subjected to intense critical scrutiny. This involved not just reading for content, but for underlying

assumptions, theoretical biases, and the implicit philosophical stances of the authors. We asked: what theoretical

lens is being applied here? How does this author define 'proverb' or 'culture' in relation to translation? Crucially,

we looked for points of intellectual friction, areas where scholars disagreed or where one theory offered a more

compelling explanation for observed phenomena than another. This wasn't about agreement; it was about

sharpening the critical edge.The conceptual framework began to take shape as recurrent themes and persistent

obstacles in Arabic-Malay proverb translation were systematically extracted and cross-referenced. This involved

a painstaking process of thematic coding, where common conceptual threads—such as semantic dilution,

pragmatic failure, and loss of cultural resonance—were identified and refined. These themes were not

structure from the scattered bricks of previous scholarship. The rigour lay in the depth of engagement with the

texts, the relentless pursuit of underlying mechanisms, and the critical synthesis of disparate academic voices

into a singular, more authoritative argument about the problem’s true nature. This method, while not generating

new data, creates new knowledge by reconfiguring and re-evaluating existing insights, forging a path towards a

compromise the translation of Arabic proverbs into Malay, extending far beyond mere lexical inadequacy. Each

problem, while distinct, feeds into a larger narrative of cultural untranslatability. \n \n First among these is the

inescapable issue of semantic dilution. Proverbs, by their very nature, are semantically dense; they compress

layers of meaning, often metaphorical or allegorical, into concise linguistic packages. The original Arabic

proverb frequently carries specific historical allusions, religious connotations, or even archaic linguistic

structures that simply have no direct equivalent in Malay. To force a direct translation is to strip away these

layers, leaving only a hollow shell. Imagine attempting to render '' (like a camel in a tower) purely

literally; the Malay equivalent 'seperti unta di menara' loses all its implied absurdity, its subtle jab at incongruity,

becoming merely a bizarre image rather than a sharp critique. The richness, the very point of the proverb,

evaporates entirely in this process. Moving beyond individual word meanings, the problem deepens with

harsh or irrelevant, failing to achieve its original communicative purpose. The social utility, a defining

characteristic of a proverb, vanishes. Finally, and arguably most profoundly, there is the loss of socio-cultural

resonance. This goes beyond specific semantics or pragmatic function, touching upon the very soul of the

feels manufactured rather than organic. It is an alienation of the proverb from its essential cultural soil. The

the delicate interplay between language, culture, and meaning, a relationship far more intricate than often

The findings—the pervasive semantic dilution, the regrettable pragmatic failure, and the profound erosion of

socio-cultural resonance—point towards a much darker truth: the conventional models of proverb translation are

simply inadequate. So what does this mean for the practicalities of inter-linguistic communication? It suggests

that our current methods, perhaps too reliant on a simplistic notion of linguistic transfer, are actively contributing

to a fundamental misrepresentation of cultural identity. When a proverb loses its soul in translation, it is not

merely a linguistic error; it is a cultural betrayal. This failure, repeated across countless texts, arguably

perpetuates a superficial understanding of both Arabic and Malay cultures, hindering genuine cross-cultural

empathy and intellectual exchange. We are, in effect, constructing bridges that cannot bear the weight of true

meaning. One might argue that the very expectation of 'equivalent' proverb translation is a theoretical misstep.

prevailing assumption that all wisdom is universally transferable, neatly packaged into another tongue, seems

rather naive now. The pragmatic failures observed also carry significant implications, particularly for fields like

religious studies, diplomacy, and international relations. If a translated proverb fails to achieve its intended social

function—if a warning sounds like a pleasantry, or a piece of advice comes across as an insult—then serious

misunderstandings are not just probable, but inevitable. This is not merely an academic quibble. Consider the

potential for misinterpretation in crucial diplomatic exchanges, or in the dissemination of religious texts where

the nuanced intent of a proverb is paramount. Such blunders can have real-world consequences, eroding trust

and fostering animosity, all because we neglected the performative power of these compact linguistic units. The

notion that cultural context can be safely discarded in the pursuit of lexical fidelity has demonstrably failed.

Furthermore, the consistent loss of socio-cultural resonance poses a profound challenge to the preservation of